Slip of a Thing
Millicent was the daughter
who danced ballet and sang until
she met Butchie on a rainy day.
He was in coveralls
and cowboy hat and fixed
two flats on her Infiniti.
He asked her for a date
and she sighed yes and so
despite her family’s laments
he picked her up in his truck
and they sang and bounced along
bumpy roads to the county fair.
Months later they eloped
and Millicent helped Butchie
run his car wash in Kentucky.
It’s 50 years now since they wed
and Millicent has seven children,
twice as many grandkids.
No longer a slip of a thing,
she’s gray and plump but still
loves to let Butchie have his way
at least once a week.
Makes her feel like a bride again
to hear him yodel at the end.
Donal Mahoney
